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(No Model.) v 42 sheetsneet 1x 1 J. KOBLNER.

BEAN PACKER.

No. 591,260. Patented Oozt. 5,1897.

v lVITNESSES Q m IJV'VENTOR f .fittorneya (No Model.) 2 sheets sheen 2..

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ERAN PAGKER 910.5912604. Patented Oct. 5,1897.

@iig/Emu' IVEJVToR M f@ M 4' 'NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN KOELNER, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO TI-IE BALLARD & BALLARD COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BRAN-PACKE'R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 591,260, dated October -5, 1897. Application naa February 18,1897. Sera1No.624,081 (Nomodel- To @ZZ whom t #my concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN KOELNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of J eerson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and u useful Improvements in Bran-Packers and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art ro to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to machines crapparatus for packing the products of grain and other materials, particularly bran and I5 olfal, in small or angular packages suitable for shipping in vessels or transporting in railway-cars or other vehicles.

In preparing bran, oal, 85o., for transportation, particularly for shipment in vessels,

2o it is desirable to get the material in the smallest possible compass, as the space ordinarily required for packing a given weight of material, particularly bran, is so muchin excess` of the space required for packing the same quantity by weight of flour or meal that the freightage is considerably greater on bran than on flour or meal, and hence it is desirable to pack the bran in packages of such shape that the greatest quantity possible to be 3o packed Within a given space may be stowed in the hold of a vessel.

The primary object of my invention is to provide improved means for packing bran and othermaterial in square or angular packages,

` which are adapted to be compactly placed in the hold of a vessel or a railway car or carriage for transportation, so as to economize in the use of space and permit a greater quantity of material to .be stowed in a given 4o space than is possible when the material is packed in round or similar packages.

The invention will first behereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and then pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters of reference are used to denote similar parts, Figure l represents a frontele- 5o vation, partly in section,` of a machine embodyiu g my invention, the usual hopper and Y spout or conduit for conveying thematerial to be packed. from the source of supply to the packing-auger being omitted. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a per- 55 spective view of a preferred form of stationary funnel or tube within which the packingauger Works. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the outer casing or` jacket for inclosin g said tube, the jacket. being adapted to be mounted 6o on and to move with the 'movable platform.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of funnel or stationary tube, and Fig.

6 is a perspective view of a modification of the outer casing or jacket. v The letters A A denote the framework of the machine, with which may be connected in any suitable manner a feed-hopper and conduit or spout for conducting the material to be packed intol the stationary funnel or 7o tubewithin which the packing-auger works.

B denotes a driven shaft for imparting motion to the auger-shaft by means of a bevel- Wheel b thereon, which meshes with a similar bevel-Wheel b on the vertical shaft C, carrying the packing-auger C. These shafts may be journaled in suitable bearings on the frame, as shown, or in any proper manner and provided With a suitable clutch device at B and a hand-lever B2 for shifting the clutch device 8o so as to throw the shaft B in and out of vgear with the sprocket-wheel or gear B3 at the will of the operator. The sprocket B3 is loose on the shaft B and is" preferably continuously driven by a suitable chain or belt connected with a similar wheel on the main drivingshaft. (Not shown.) A band wheel or pulley 52 and a friction-disk b3 are fixed to the hub of the sprocket B3, so as to revolve freely therewith on the shaft B, and by means of 9o the usual clutch-levers engaging the frictiondisk b3 the latter may be locked to the shaft B, so as to cause said shaft to revolve with the said disk and sprocket-wheel and thereby impart motion to the auger-shaft.

D denotes a counter-shaft which is jonrnaled in suitable bearings on the frame and arranged to receive motion from the driven shaft B by means of an endless belt or band y d', which passes around the band wheel or roo pulley b2, and over a similar band wheel or Vpulley cl2, fixed on the counter-shaft D, said orwheel f, journaled thereon so as to engage the band CZ' and tighten the latter when the foot-pedal is depressed.

On the shaft D is fixed a pinion G, which meshes with'a driving-gear I-I, secured to a t shaft II', which is liournaled in the frame A and connected by chains Zt Z1, with the movable 'platform I, so as to adapt the latter to be raised when said shaft H' is revolved in one direction and to be lowered when the shaft is revolved in an opposite direction.

The movable platform I may be of any suitable construction and provided with suitable guiding means at either side thereof, similar to a window-sash, to adapt the platform to be raised and lowered and maintained in an upright position, as is common in this class of machines.

The auger-shaft. C has a packing-anger C' 1 thereon, arranged to revolve within a stationary funnel or tube K, which latter is preferably incased in 'a square or rectangular casing K', for a purpose to be hereinafter explained, though said casing may in some cases be dispensed with, as I will presently' explain.

alinement therewith, so .as to inclose or surround the same when the platform is elevated, is placed an outer casing or jacket L, which is mounted upon the platform I lso as to be 'raised and lowered therewith in telescopic connection with said -tube or its ycasing K. This jacket L preferably consists of a semicylindrical or larger seg-mental portion Zand two quadrants or smaller segmental portions Z Z', hinged to the portion Z, so that the quadto the circumference of the cylinder, so as to form a square or rectangular opening through the jacket to receive a similarly-shaped funl nel or fu nnel-casing, so that when the jacket i is placed ove-r such funnel or casing the lat-i ter may exactly fill the opening -i-n the jacket, thereby making a stron ger and more compact jacket and providing a firm backing for the sides of the bag that is being filled, in orderl that a square or rectangular package may be 1 formed.

Any suitable means may be employed fors securing the quadrants or segments Z' of the jacket int a closed position-such, for instance, as the latch Z4 on one segment Z engaging a catch Z5 on the other segment Z', as shown in Fig. 4.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a modification of the casing for the funnel or tube in which the packing-auger works and of the outer casing or jacket therefor, the funnel-casing, in this instance marked K2, being hexagonal in cross-section, while the jacket L' is constructed with a hexagonal opening therethrough-assuming the parts thereof to be in a closed positionto adapt the same to conform t0 the exterior form of the funnel-casing.

Instead of four segmental filling-strips, as in Fig. 4, six similar strips Z3 are provided, as shown in Fig. 6, so as to make the opening hexagonal in form. A greater or less number of strips may of course be provided, so as to form an octagonal or other polygonal opening adapted to form packages which are angular or polygonal in cross-section, so as to adapt a greater number thereof to be stowed in a given place than is possible with round or cylindrical sacks or packages.

While I have described the outer casin gs L and L as being composed of outer' segmental plates hinged together and inclosing solid segments of wood or other material, it is obvious that simple bands might be placed about the wooden segments and that any suitable material may be employed for the plates vor filling; but for durability and efficiency in use metallicplates of the character described and shown, hinged together in the t manner indicated in Figs. 4: and 6, are pre- Below the incased funnel or tube K and in f ferred.

The packing-auger C' may be of any approved construction, but I preferably employ an au ger havin g a'single spiral blade or flange thereon, forming a gradual inclined plane from the highest point or toe thereof to its lowest point or heel, said heel and toe portions terminating the one over the other at the point of discharge and being slightly separated from each other to provide an opening between them. Said heel and toe portions extend inwardly from the circumference of the auger to substantially the axis thereof orcenter of rotation,so`as to form an opening equal yor substantially equal to one-half the diameter of the auger, whereby I avoid the heating and injurious effects which are due to the use of an auger of the usual construction having a cent-ral boss or projection on the under surface thereof and effect an equal IOO IIO

distribution of the material and cause the constructed it is the common practice to suspend the movable platform by chains depending from a shaft, to which motion is imparted for raising the platform in. such manner that the pressure of the packing-auger is exerted upon the platform some distance in front of the points of support or resistance opposing the pressure of the packingauger. This tends to cant or tilt the platform and break or injure the machine and causes the platform to bind and descend with an irregular or wabbling movement, thereby causing the pressure to be exerted unevenly on the material that is being packed and producing an unevenly-packed sack or package. In order to overcome this objection, I `so arrange the suspending chains or cables h h that the platform is supported from its base at preferably diametrically opposite points so arranged that the resistance opposed to the pressure of the auger shall be centrally disposed, the points of support for the platform being on a line passing through the center or substantially the center of rotation, thereby7 equaliz-` ing the pressure on opposite sides of the auger, preventing the platform from canting or binding, and sustaining it in an `erect position at all times, so as to adapt the auger to exert an even pressure on the material from its center to its circumference.

In order to hold the platform I stationary in whatever position it may be placed and to adapt it to yieldingly resist the pressure of thepacking-au ger as it recedes with the gradual filling of the bag, any suitable brake mechanism may be employed. In the form shown I employ a brake Wheel or pulleyll/I, which is made fast on the counter-shaft D and is encircled by a steel or other suitable band N, to which is connected a hand-lever n, having a weight n adj ustably secured thereon. This brake mechanism is so `constructed and arranged as to impede the descent of thegplatform, thereby regulating the degree of compression of the material to be packed or compressed. This also insures a uniform pressure upon the material in packing.

In operation for the purpose of packing.

bran or other materials the bag or sack is placed over the tube or funnel casing K', and the platform I is then raised to its highest position underneath said funnel, as shown in Figs. l and 2, so that the bag may rest thereon, whereupon the auger beingput in motion by shifting the lever B2, so as to cause the shaft B to revolve with the frictionclutch, and the material to be packed being constantly spouted into the cylinder, a certain quantity of the material will be forced` into the sack or receptacle at each rotation of the auger, and as this operation continues the platform will gradually descend or recede from the tube while the bran or other j material is being forced into the receptacle by the feeding andpacking auger, the density to which the material is compressed being determined by the resistance which the platform opposes to the pressure of the auger.

' This resistance may be regulated by increaswhich the band N exerts on the friction brake-Wheel M either by hand or by adjusting the weights on the lever fn. The platform having completed its descending movement and the bag or sack being filled, the rotation of the feed-auger is stopped by shifting the clutch-lever B2, and thereupon the cuter casing or jacketL may be opened, the filled sack removed, and another sack placed upon the funnel or funnel-casing K. To raise the platform I, the operator with his foot depresses the pedal E, thereby tightening the belt d', which will cause the shaft D to rotate with the continuously-driven' pulley b2 and raise the platform to the position indicated in Figs. l and 2, and by removing his foot from the pedal the operator releases the belt, thereby stopping the platform in the desired position for filling the sack,where upon the operation of filling another sack may be repeated. l

Therplatform may be lowered or permitted to descendwitlr greater or less rapidity by whollysor partly releasing the friction of the band N on the brake-.wheel M, which may be done by operating the lever fn. By these means I am enabled to form an angular package by the use of a round auger, this result being accomplished when the square or polygonal funnel -casin g is used by stretching the sack or bag to be filled over said casing and inclosing the same in a jacket having ICO the same angular interior formation as the exterior contour of the casing inclosing the tube, (thoughthe jacket may be, and preferably is, cylindrical on the outside,) whereby the sack is firmly held in position between two angular surfaces of the shape desired for the finished package, and by reason of the pressure with which the material is forced from the cylinder into the package and compressed therein it is spread and forced to assume the shape desired and is so firmly packed that the angular shape thereof will vbe retained, thus adapting large numbers of such packages to be stowed in much less space-than is required for a like number of round packages.

Vhile I preferably employ a funnel-casing of square or polygonal shape in cross-section inclosing the tube in which the packing-A auger works and an outer casing or jacket having a square or polygonal opening therethrougharranged so as to move in telescopic connection with the exterior angular funnelcasing, I may dispense with the funnel-casing `and employ an ordinary stationary cylinder or tube in connection with the outer jacket or casing having its interior square, rectangular, octagonal, or of other angular shape in cross-section conformingmto the desired shape of the finished package, and in such case I am enabled to form an angular package with a round auger by securing the sack in position between the tubular funnel and the angular surface of the outer inolosing IIO case or jacket, and owing to the pressure of be forced out against the sides of the jacket, causing the bag to conform to the shape of the interior of the jacket and forming a f square or polygonal package.

While the machine shown and described is specially designed for packing bran and offal, I do not desire to be limited in the application of the invention to the packing of any particular material, as the machine is capable of other uses, particularly for packing meal, flour, and other products of grain, and may be used for packing vario us kinds of material. y

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

I. A machine for packing the products of grain and other materials into angular packages by the use of a round auger, comprising a vertically-movable platform and means for raising the same and permitting it to descend with a yielding resistance against applied pressure, a jacket or casing mounted on said platform having a polygonal opening therethrough, a polygonal stationary casing arranged over said jacket adapted to iit the interior thereof and having a cylindrical opening therethrough, a packing-au ger working in said opening, and means for rotating the auger, whereby a square or polygonal package may be formed by the action of a round feeding and forcing device adapted to force the material from a cylindrical into a polygonal opening containing the sack to be Iilled, substantially as described,

2. In a machine for packing the products of grain and other materials, a vertically-dis- .osed shaft carr' ing a ackinOf-auger a stationary tube in which said auger works, a vertically-movable platform arranged below said cylinder, means for permitting said platform to descend with a yielding resistance opposing the pressure of the auger on the material that is being packed, mechanism for elevating the platform, and a casing or jacket on said platform having its interior shaped v to conform to the exterior of said tube and between the same and the elevating mechanism arranged in substantially the same verauger, to make telescopic connection therewith; said platform being suspended by connections arranged so that the resistance to the pressure of the packing-auger shall be exerted centrally thereof, substantially as described.

3. In amachine for packing the products of grain and other materials, a vertically-disposed shaft carrying a packing-auger, a stationary tube in which said auger works having its exterior angular in cross-section, a vertically-movable platform arranged below saidcylinder, means for permitting said platform to descend with a yielding resistance opposing the pressure of the auger on the material that is being packed, mechanism for elevating the platform, and a casing or jacket on said platform having its interior shaped to conform to the exterior of said tube and arranged to make telescopic connection therewith; said platform being suspended by flexible connections between the same and the elevating mechanism arranged in substantially the same vertical 'plane with the auger-shaft or axis of the auger, so that the resistance to the pressure of the packing-auger shall be exerted centrally thereof, substantially as described.

4. In a machine for packing the products of grain-and other materials, a round packingauger combined with a cylindrical inclosure in which the auger works having an exterior casing made square or polygonal in cross-section to receive the sack to be packed, together with a jacket having an angular opening therethrough corresponding in shape with said exterior casing and adapted to fit over the sack stretched on saidcasing; said jacket being mounted on a vertically-movable platformsuspended by flexible connections arranged centrally below the axis of rotation of the auger, and means for raising the platform and yieldingly resisting its downward movement caused by the pressure of the auger on the material that is being packed, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN KOELNER. lVitnesses:

CHARLES E. RIoRDoN, WILLIAM B. GRownLL. 

